Does overclocking a cpu harm it?

[knightofnight]

I wanted to ask that if overclocking a cpu will lower the performance of the cpu. Like if it is hyperthreading it will destroy that function or something. Does it ruin the cpu or cause harm to it in anyway? Because i did it to mine 20% and then put it back to normal after loading windows. So i just wanted to ask if it busts it up in anyway.

 

[SkipCox]

No.

No.

No.

Speed doesn't kill a cpu...heat does. It is important to monitor cpu and board/case temps when overclocking. It's also important to realize that you'll see no tangible performance increases in day to day use. Benchmarking programs will see the difference; you won't.

Many of us overclock and it is overrated. Some of us also underclock; that's underrated.

I run some of my machines overclocked, some at default and one underclocked/undervolted.

The overclocked rigs make me feel better...got away with something.
The ones set at default just work.
The underclocked machine is very cool and very quiet.

A caveat; before you overclock anything, read everything you can find applying to your computer before you dive in.
Higher heat levels, data corruption, unexplained errors, slowdowns, lockups and so forth can (an often do) occur. You need to know exactly what you're doing before you start.

Skip

http://home.comcast.net/~skip9/index.html

http://scc.i8.com

 

[paparazi]

Well I guess it's like tuning up a car engine
1) It uses more fuel (electricity)
2) Gets hotter
3) wears out quicker
4) is more prone to breaking down
5) doesn't tick over very well and often stalls (blue screens, reboots and random lock ups)
6)is much more likely to blow up ( just stop working one day)

As a member of a professional work forum I have to advise that overclocking is generally considered unadvisable and the small gains that can be obtained are just not worth the potential risks to expensive hardware.
I do however understand the attraction to this pass time, getting something for nothing is always a good feeling but that ellation can just as easily be replaced by a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach at the realisation that you just blew your $300 CPU.
Martin
Martin

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